Tajani has edge coming into Tuesday Parliament vote

Is your crystal ball ready? No one knows who is going to become the new European Parliament president Tuesday night.

Party groups are meeting late into the night, but as ordinary folks head to bed Monday, there’s still no deal between any set of parties. The candidates themselves have been largely silent online. No candidate can rest easy.

Possible deals are emerging however, with sources confirming to Playbook that the liberal ALDE group of Guy Verhofstadt is in discussions with the European People’s Party about backing its candidate, the center-right Italian MEP Antonio Tajani. Verhofstadt’s spokesperson denied that he would withdraw altogether from the race.

What’s certain is that few people are speaking up the chances of Gianni Pittella, the socialist candidate.

According to Playbook’s EPP source, the EPP is even “preparing for Tajani’s victory.” That is rational: Tajani has a track record of performing well in Parliament elections. He was, for example, selected first among dozens for candidates in the 2014 vote for Parliament’s vice presidents, and sailed through his two confirmation hearings while a European Commissioner.

The departing President Martin Schulz is expected to meet the two main candidates ahead of the final round of voting on Tuesday. He will meet Pittella at 5.30 pm and Tajani around the time of the final vote.

Pittella’s decision to end the Grand coalition between his party, the EPP and the liberal ALDE group, is also set to affect the election of the 14 Parliament vice-presidents on Wednesday. According to Italian press reports, Pittella will not cast any votes for EPP candidates. In previous elections, MEPs from the EPP and S&D have reached a deal to split a majority of the 14 vice-presidents of the European parliament.